The first reading was useless.
Sera knew it before the instrument completed its cycle. A pile driver on the neighboring construction lot struck twice, shaking grit from the temporary fence. The trace leaped with each blow. Across the service yard, a compressor started and added a continuous vibration beneath the impacts.
She marked the interval unusable and moved the tripod back from the curb.
Bram waited beside Eli, hands visible, pointing at nothing until asked. Kellan had gone to examine the maintenance approach from the public loading area. Tessa stood by the vehicle, speaking to the emergency office with the location open on her phone.
Eli watched the instrument screen.
“Can you separate it?”
“Not by wanting the lower line to belong to the gate.”
He looked away. She regretted the sharpness, but not enough to spend their remaining time cushioning it.
